


Barton to Brandt and Back Again

by WithTheKeyIsKing



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, BAMF Clint Barton, BAMF Ethan Hunt, Clint Barton is William Brandt, Hints of William Brandt/Ethan Hunt, Undercover Missions, small ones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-02 07:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5239997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithTheKeyIsKing/pseuds/WithTheKeyIsKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Is that Brandt?"</p><p>"...Well, he did say next time he wanted to seduce the rich guy."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Barton to Brandt and Back Again

Clint seriously couldn't stand tuxes.

All his life, Clint had known nothing but ratty t-shirts and faded jeans. First there was his homeand he used that term looselywhere his father tossed all their income towards his alcohol and gambling addiction, so there wasn't money for nice things. Then there was the orphanage and the circus, which, let's face it, weren't and were never going to be the richest places to live. So by the time he got to SHIELD, Clint was used to not having the finer things in life, and chose to spend his paycheck instead on a hole-in-the-wall apartment and weapons that suited his tastes.

Sometimes on missions Clint was forced to dress up (sometimes this lasted for a few weeks or even a month if he was in deep cover) and that's exactly what was happening now. Luckily it would only last a nightmaybe two, if Stark was an asshole and deviated from the planand then he'd be back in his favorite pair of gray sweats and standard SHIELD-issue t-shirt.

The mission, quite frankly, was quite simple; it was a standard protection detail. SHIELD had intercepted a message that inferred that Tony Stark was a target. Of course, upon hearing this piece of news, Stark had decided that going to Stark Industries' fancy gala was a good idea anyway, and had refused SHIELD protective custody. _("Come on, guys, I'm Iron Man, I'm in danger_ everyday! _Besides, Pepper'll kill me if I don't go to this thing.")_

So it had been decided that, while Stark would not be staying in whatever safe house Fury seriously wanted to throw him into, SHIELD agents would attend the gala as well and keep an eye out for any danger. Clint had been assigned to lead this mission, and would be staying relatively close to Stark at all times. Hence the monkey suit that was suffocating the life out of him.

"I hate this thing," Clint muttered to Stark unhappily, while smiling congenially on the outside. Stark shook someone's hand, but clearly knew who they were about as much as Clint did.

"Oh, but Agent Barton," the billionaire purred quietly, "you look absolutely dashing."

Clint couldn't help but huff a laugh and roll his eyes at the man's clearly fake attempt at flirting. A year ago Clint would've believed him, but now Stark was very happily in a committed relationship, and had eyes only for Pepper Potts. "Is this where I bat my eyelashes and you take me up to the penthouse? Oh, Mr. Stark, what on Earth would Ms. Potts think?"

At the sound of his girlfriend's name, Starkwell, Clint might as well take to calling him Tony if he was on guard duty for the mancouldn't help his brightening expression. Then, as he shook yet another old rich dude's hand, he sighed. "Come on, if I've gotta get a drink. Or ten."

* * *

Ethan felt pretty solid about the mission they'd been tasked with.

In was a basic in-and-out. Jane, Ethan, and Benji would enter the party as guests. Jane would distract the target so that Benji could slip upstairs and hack into the main server and enter the tech room to get the information that they were being sent in for. Meanwhile, Ethan would stand by to make sure everything went smoothly and in case any muscle was needed. As soon as Benji had the information the three would leave; easy. The only thing Ethan was vaguely worried about was the target's systemsthe target was known for being a genius, so it was very possible that his security would be too much for Benji to handle.

Ethan entered the Stark Industries gala, hair slicked back and tux impeccably straight. He removed a flute of champagne from a tray and took a small sip with a friendly smile, trying to blend in, and walked farther into the party. "I'm in position," he said quietly.

 _"I just passed security,"_ Jane's voice came in through Ethan's earpiece. He looked up and saw her entering through the front; he inclined his head in acknowledgment, and she mirrored the gesture.

"Where are you Benji?" Ethan covered his words with a sip from the glass of champagne, smiling warmly at a girl who glanced at him. She blushed and looked away.

_"By the elevatorswell, as close as I can get without Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb getting suspicious."_

Ethan rose his eyebrows. Two guards for the elevator? Man, Ethan knew the target had been pretty paranoid latelyfighting aliens and falling out of a wormhole could do that to a guybut two guards on top of his incredible security system was a bit much.

"Alright," he said calmly, quietly, "that doesn't change the plan too much. We just need a bigger distraction. Jane, you stick to the planhang onto the target, keep his attention so he doesn't go sneaking off to his labs. I'll get the guards' attention."

 _"You're the boss,"_ Ethan could practically hear Jane's eye roll. He saw her scan the room, then start heading towards the bar, presumably where the targetAnthony Edward Starkwas. About halfway to the bar, Jane froze, surprise and confusion clear in her expression. She quickly covered it up, but headed towards the tables instead of the bar. She took a seat and discreetly watched the bar.

Ethan frowned. "Problem, Jane?"

 _"Is thatis that Brandt?"_ Her voice comes out shaky, even though Ethan can see her expression is pleasantly calm.

Ethan's head jerked up, scanning the bar for the one person who couldn't possibly be there. However, from where Ethan stood, he could only see the end of the bar, where two girls were drinking cocktails and giggling at one thing or another.

"I have no visibilityI'm moving," he said sternly, itching to see if Jane was just seeing things. _He can't be here!_

William Brandt had been a good friend of the whole group. After first meeting him in some dire circumstances, Will had become an integral part of the team, the field-agent-turned-analyst-turned-field-agent again, having skills that were unmatched in both mind and body. But a year and a half ago there had been an accident and Brandt had been wounded pretty badly, something that took the man from the field for good. He had retired somewhere in Seattle, Ethan was sure. They talked on the phone occasionally. Why would he be at a Stark Industries gala?

Ethan moved swiftly through the crowd until he reached a certain point and then he froze. Standing at the end of the bar was Anthony Stark, holding a glass of what looked liked scotch and grinning at the man standing next to him. The man was also grinning and holding a glass, and seemed to be trying not to laugh out loud. Stark said something and the man rolled his eyes, taking a gulp from his glass and bumping Stark's shoulder with his own.

It was Brandt.

Ethan was shocked into silence. Where he realized he was staring, he ducked his head and moved to a place where Brandt wouldn't notice him, but he could still see Brandt. "Dammit," he cursed. "It is, it's him. And he's with Stark. They look quite chummy."

The coms were quiet, both of his teammates taking in the information. _"Well,"_ Benji said weakly, _"he did say next time he wanted to seduce the rich guy."_

Ethan watched his former teammate, still grinning and looking slightly drunk, scan the room. Ethan couldn't help but admire Brandt's hawk-like gaze, taking in the whole room, charting all escape routes and possible threats in one sweep of his eyes. The drunk act was clearly thatan act. He was on duty, but Ethan didn't understand why a retired IMF agent would be sent to interfere with an IMF mission.

 _"What do we do, Ethan?"_ Jane asked, waiting patiently for her team leader to make a decision.

Ethan sighed. "I'm going to go and talk to him, see what he's doing here and if this mission is still salvageable."

* * *

Clint scanned the room, cataloging all of the potential threats and exits once again. It was natural by this point, years and years of training having it so deeply ingrained in him that he didn't even have to think about it. He made sure to sway slightly, putting on the kind-of-drunk act for anyone watching, so they'd think he was just another one of Tony's rich, alcoholic friends.

The archer rose his glass to his lips and took a sip, enjoying the smooth taste; one good thing about having to go to stupid rich guy functions was that the booze was always exquisite.

"So, Clinton, are you enjoying yourself yet?" Tony said obnoxiously. Clint rolled his eyes at the use of his full first name, not getting annoyed as he usually would because he knew Stark was just being his normal teasing self. Instead of replying, Clint scanned the room once more. He was about to think the _all clear_ once more when a movement caught his eye. Someone had just stepped out from behind a pillar, someone who was staring straight at Clint with a grave expression.

_Oh shit._

Clint froze and couldn't help but stare back as Ethan Hunt glared at him with confusion and displeasure. Clintwith his excellent spy trainingcould even see some hurt in there. Ethan rose a hand and curled his finger in a _come here_ gesture. Clint nodded sharply in assent.

"Hey, Tony, I'll be right back," the SHIELD agent said gravely. Tony looked at him in surprise and opened his mouth to protest, but must of seen something in Clint's expression that made him back down, simply nodding.

Clint, not knowing what else to do as he walked over to where Ethan was standing, brought up his years old persona of William Brandt. It was like settling on a second skin, somehow familiar. He had acted as William Brandt for a year and nine months, had spent a year of that with Hunt and the team. They had been his _friends,_ he had _trusted_ them. And they, in turn, had trusted him. Lying to them had been so hard, but that was the job. He had at least ten missions he seriously regretted the need of lying to people.

As soon as Clint reached the pillar, Ethan turned and walked towards a more secluded area, knowing that Clint would follow. Clint, now firmly William Brandt, straightened up a bit, his expression becoming more serious.

As soon as Ethan reached a corner of the room that was blocked by most people's views, he turned to face Clint-who-was-now-Will, crossing his arms and gaining his ' _I need answers'_ look. Will stood like a soldier, hands folded behind his back and feet shoulder length apart.

"Care to tell me what you're doing here and not in Seattle, Brandt?" Ethan asked, his tone both curious and irritated at the same timehe was doing a good job of hiding the hurt, but Will knew Ethan like the back of his hand.

"My wounds kept me out of commission for a while, but then I started working some private security; I didn't tell you because I kept expecting my injuries to bring me down again, and I didn't want to get your hopes up about me returning to the field. I was hired by Stark a couple weeks ago. He's a good guy." Will paused, looking Ethan over to make sure he was alright. When he saw that he was, Will smiled tentatively. "It's really good to see you, Ethan. Are Benji and Jane here, too?"

Ethan looked Will over for another few minutes, his gaze still intense, before he relaxed and smiled slightly back. _(Anyone who was watching would've thought Ethan was relaxed the whole time, but Will_ knew _Ethan, and he knew how big that smile really was.)_

"It's good to see you, too, Will. And yeah, they're here. We're working on a mission, actually, as you could probably guess. Could use your help, if you're up for it." Ethan's expression turned teasing, but unease swirled through Will's gut. He was there to _protect_ Tony, not work against him.

Will nodded, proceeding cautiously. "Yeah, I figured you guys weren't just taking a stroll. What's the mission? You're not taking out a target, right? That wouldn't look good for me if someone wound up dead at a party I was protecting."

Ethan shook his head. "No, nothing like that. It was supposed to be a simple mission; we were sent to get some information from Stark's private server, but there's more security than we were prepared for. We knew he'd been paranoid lately, but there are much more guards than necessary. Even you're here, and we didn't see that coming at all."

Will hesitated, before deciding to divulge a small piece of informationit wouldn't hurt. "Yeah, he received Intel that he was going to be a target, so I suggested bumping up security since he insisted on still coming to this thing. If you guys coming was the potential threat to him it would be a big relief 'cause that means nothing worse is coming."

His old team leader looked around, clearly thinking on something for a while. His eyebrows creased in a familiar way, his eyes alert and focused, but on something far away. Finally he looked back at Will, his face lighting up momentarily. "Hey, you could help us, right? I bet you could get the guards to stop protecting the elevator so that Benji can go and do his thing." He looked so hopeful, in that subtle way of his, and it made Will's heart twinge.

"Ethan..." Will hesitated, looking away awkwardly. "Ethan, you know how much the team means to me, but I'm supposed to protect Tony Stark and all of his intereststhat includes the information on his servers. I can't let you complete your mission."

Ethan suddenly straightened, his expression hardening. "Will, you're a good agent. One of the best I've ever seen, actually; but if you think you can stop Jane, Benji, and I from completing our mission, then you are horribly mistaken."

Will sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "For what it's worth, Ethan, I'm sorry; I really didn't want it to come to this." Before Ethan could ask what he meant, Natashawho'd been slowly getting closer and listening the whole timeslid a needle into Ethan's neck, pushing down on the plunger and injecting the IMF agent with a fast-acting sedative.

Ethan clearly tried to fight the serum for a moment, but it was strong, and soon his eyelids fluttered and he began falling. Instantly, two other SHIELD agents on protective detail swooped in, catching the man before he completely collapsed, and then pulled him away.

Will closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to feel regret, before he shed the persona and stepped back into himself. When he opened his eyes, Natasha was standing in front of him, looking at him critically.

"Well, at least you're you again," she said wryly.

Clint smiled back with a roll of his eyes. "Didja' get Agents Carter and Dunn, too?" The redhead nodded. "Good, it would be _seriously_ awkward if we just had them hanging around. Thanks for the assist, by the way. I thought he was about to go all ninja on me."

Natasha couldn't help the quirk of her lips. "Come on, _Agent Barton,_ let's get back to work."

* * *

Ethan paced in his cell, hands behind his back and eyebrows furrowed. He was trying to figure out what had happened; how someone had managed to sneak up on him, _why_ Brandt had had him sedated, where they had taken him.

His cell was simple, and looked like practically every other standard interrogation room he'd seen. There was a table and two chairs (one on either side of the table), and a small cot in one corner. One of the walls held a clearly thick, metal door, and another wall had what was almost definitely a two-way mirror. In one of the corners of the ceiling was a camera, red light blinking in proof that it was on. Ethan gave it an annoyed look before settling down into one of the chairs, folding his hands on the table.

After sitting for a few minutesEthan didn't bother to keep track, it didn't matter much; besides, he had a lot on his mindthere was a loud _clang,_ and then the door swung open. A dark-skinned man with an eye-patch and a long coat strode into the room and sat himself in the chair across from Ethan. He didn't close the door, which confused Ethan until someone else walked through it and closed it behind him.

It was William Brandt.

He looked different. It was nothing obvious; his hair was the same style, his eyes the same color, the scars on his arms no different. But the way he held himself was off; the set of his shoulders was more relaxed and his whole body looser than Brandt had ever been. And his eyes, while the same shape and the same color, held a certain amount of laughter in them that Ethan had never seen Brandt have. All of this was greatly confusing.

"Hello, Agent Hunt," the man who had sat down said, pulling Ethan's attention away from Will and back to him. "I apologize for your...sudden detainment, but it was quite necessary. You were intending to steal information from Tony Stark, and seeing as my agents were there to protect the man, we couldn't allow that."

Ethan glanced at Will, who was standing in the corner by the door and under the camera. His position was relaxed, far more relaxed than Ethan had ever seen him, but Ethan had a feeling that Will's calm demeanor could change in a flash, and that he could strike just as quickly.

The IMF agent turned his attention back to the man directly in front of him, but kept one eye on Will just in case. "You said _your_ agents. So this is an organization, I take it. Which one? And how long has Bizarro-Brandt over there been working for you?"

At his title for Brandt, Will's lips quirked in amusement. "Ethan, you cracked a joke! Who'da thought you could do it." His voice was dry and far more teasing than Ethan had ever heard Will sound; it made the IMF agent resist a frown.

"Agent, do I need to remove you?" The other man asked, clearly talking to Will. He sounded harsh, but from the roll of Will's eyes he had a feeling it wasn't a serious threat.

"Nope, boss, I'll be good. Scout's honor," Will held up three fingers, pinky and thumb folded down in a boy scout salute. Ethan couldn't help the amusement that ran through him, even though this Bizarro-Brandt still was freaking him out.

The man didn't even look at Will before rolling his eyes, and then turned his attention back to Ethan. "To answer your questions, Agent Hunt, my organization is SHIELD, and I am Director Nick Fury. Agent... _Brandt_ has been working for my organization for the past fifteen years."

Ethan's thoughts about SHIELD cut off suddenly. _Fifteen years?_ No, that wasn't possible. Will had been working at IMF two years ago, and he'd been there before that for at least four years.

As if seeing his thoughts and anticipating his questions, Director Nick Fury spoke. "He was undercover at IMF, Agent Hunt. His name isn't William Brandt, it's Clint Barton. He's one of the best agents SHIELD has ever had."

Ethan looked at Will-who-wasn't-really-Will, hiding his betrayed feelings. Suddenly everything about Not-Will's new persona made sense. He seemed like a different person because he _was_ a different person; this _Agent Barton_ was such a good agent that he'd completely become someone else. He'd done it so well that he'd fooled the entirety of the IMF.

Underneath his betrayal, Ethan couldn't help but feel impressed.

Agent Barton shifted under his intense gaze, showing the first signs of discomfort so far. Suddenly, it hit Ethan. This stranger, this Clint Barton, was _scared._ Scared of what Ethan would do, scared that he'd be hated for just doing his job. Even though William Brandt was just a job, Barton had formed actual attachments to Ethan and his team. They had, after all, worked together for a year. They'd become friends.

Ethan stood up and walked around the table towards Barton. Fury didn't move, but he tracked Ethan's movements warily. Barton himself didn't move except to bow his head ever-so-slightly. It was a sign that he thought that Ethan was going to hit him, and that he was going to let him.

The IMF agent stood in front of the SHIELD agent for a few tense moments before extending his hand. "Nice to meet you, Agent Barton."

Barton's head snapped up, his eyes just a bit too wide as he looked at Ethan. The agent quickly controlled himself and took Ethan's hand in his own, shaking it firmly. "Glad you could meet me, Agent Hunt."


End file.
